Literary Quote of the Day: "The Year Was 2081..."

“Harrison Bergeron” shows a dystopian society where government and the misapplication of equality has evolved with tragic consequences. In the year 2081–less than 60 years away–the meaning of equality has changed from being equal under the law as intended (with varying degrees of success) in the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution to equality meaning that everybody has to be equal on every which way.

In this case, government working under the pretense of promoting equality strips away individual rights in an effort to gain absolute control of its populace. Although the degree to which it is done in the story is extreme, the concept shouldn’t be foreign to anyone who follows current events.

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